Hygiene and Cleanliness in Revolutionary War Armies

A Military Encampment in Hyde Park, London
by James Malton after Paul Sandby, c.1780
(Yale Center for British Art)

    In the early days of the American Revolution, the newly-formed Continental Army was faced with innumerable logistical challenges. Clothing, feeding, housing, and training 20,000 men was an extraordinarily daunting task for the Continental leadership, of which few officers had experience with at such a scale. Of all these issues, none became more blatantly clear than the army’s sanitary situation during the Siege of Boston. In November of 1775, Dr. James Thacher commented on the state of the Continental army surrounding the city:

“Our hospitals are considerably crowded with sick soldiers from camp; the prevailing diseases are autumnal fevers and dysenteric complaints, which have proved fatal in a considerable number of instances.”

    Hygiene-related diseases like dysentery had long plagued field armies, especially during siege conditions. Thousands of men were contained in an area dictated by the strategy of the siege, and were subjected to intense labor in less-than-ideal conditions. For this new army that was growing by the day, these issues had the potential to spell disaster if not properly addressed. 

    Continental leadership looked for effective ways to implement the hygienic standards of the day into army life. Many looked to their prior experience in the British Army, which had  recognized the importance of cleanliness and its ability to impact morale and discipline. First published in 1768, Bennett Cuthbertson’s System For The Complete Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry provided valuable guidance on maintaining good hygiene in the British Army:

“Soldiers must be obliged to put on clean linen, twice a week for certain, viz. Sunday and Wednesday, on the first of which days, they should be powdered, and dressed in the best of whatever cloathing [sic] belongs to them, with thread stockings: besides these two days, it must also be insisted on, that they never parade for duty without clean shirts, their hair well powdered, gaiters highly polished, and compleatly [sic] dressed in every particular…”

    Such regulations may seem somewhat surprising, given as most standards have vastly evolved over the past 250 years. However, army life has the tendency to magnify hygienic challenges within the discourse of cleanliness, and often sees the rise of robust solutions to counter them. By January of 1776, the Continental Army had implemented new hygienic standards that mirrored that of the British Army. In that month, Sergeant Jonathan Burton of New Hampshire reflected on the army’s revitalized approach to cleanliness in his diary: 

“... there are many Practices in Regular Service highly worthy of Immitation but non more essential than this and Keeping Soldiers clean and neat, the first is Absolutely Nessary for Self Presavation, the other for health and appearance for if a Solder cannot be Induet to take Pride in his Person he Soon Be-comes a Sloven and Indifferent to every thing else whilst we have men therefore who in Every Respect are Superior to Merserny Troops that are Fighting for Two or three Pence a Day onely why cannot we in appearance be Equal to them when we fight for Life Liberty Property and our country.”

    Following the success of the Siege of Boston, the Continental Army continued to adhere to these policies throughout the war. By the time of the army’s encampment at Valley Forge, there were standing orders that dictated daily combing and washing of hair, shaving twice a week, and bathing at every opportunity. The adoption of such hygienic standards was but one example of the Continental Army’s adaptability that improved its overall capabilities as a fighting force during the American Revolution.

References:

Orderly book of Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment (16th Massachusetts Regiment), 1780. 18th Century Material Culture database.

Cuthbertson, Bennett. System for the Complete Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry. United Kingdom: Rouths and Nelson, 1776.

Diary and Ordlery Book of Sergeant Jonathan Burton of Wilton, N.H., While in Service in the Army on Winter Hill: December 10,1775 - January 26, 1776. Columbia University Library

Thacher, James. A Military Journal During the American Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783: Describing Interesting Events and Transactions of this Period; with Numerous Historical Facts and Anecdotes, from the Original Manuscript. To which is Added, an Appendix, Containing Biographical Sketches of Several General Officers. United States: Cottons & Barnard, 1827.

Why Study the Revolution?

  This is an important, yet loaded question that does not often get proper attention within the public consciousness. We have grown quite comfortable with the bicentennial-era interpretation of the American Revolution, which paints the event as a sort of heartwarming David and Goliath story that gave rise to our nation and its fundamental ideals. Though academics have been constantly re-examining and reassessing the conflict and the greater revolutionary period, the popular memory has not truly changed much in the past fifty years. People fondly remember the films, books, poems, and all other mediums that help form the mythology of the Revolution - Johnny Tremaine, "Paul Revere’s Ride," and dare I say, The Patriot. Essentially, the Revolutionary War is our country’s historic comfort food; an event far removed from present-day controversies and yet is somehow relatable to all.

As the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution draws near, the period will most certainly enjoy greater attention in the public eye. Ceremonies, parades, and all kinds of special events will once again allow us to reflect on our nation’s founding and the men and women who made it possible. We as a nation could easily dust off the old bicentennial banners, pop on our tricorne hats, and praise our forefathers for fighting over a tax on tea. However, we would be forfeiting a far more valuable opportunity for reanalyzing and rediscovering our identity as Americans. In my own time studying the period, I’ve been amazed at just how many parallels can be drawn between the colonial period and the many political, social, and cultural issues that we face today that are barely recognized or outright ignored in the popular memory of the conflict. Ideas including insurrection as political discourse, communal containment of infectious diseases, unanswered questions regarding race, and changing gender roles were just as relevant then as they are today. By simply defaulting to the “Comfort Food” narrative, we would be missing out on an even better story.

Rather than taking the classic “mythbusting” approach and simply pointing out how wrong our base knowledge of the conflict is, this blog will instead build off what many of us already know and use it to explore larger concepts. I know I’d hate it if some Gen-Z keyboard warrior told me that everything I knew about the Revolutionary War was wrong and that I should go back to collecting stamps and metal detecting; not to worry, that approach will most certainly not be taken. The Revolutionary War Files will explore everything from the battles and important events to the everyday people and culture of the colonial period in an attempt to let our existing knowledge shed new light on the past, and allow us to come to a better understanding of how it relates to the present.